ISO certification in India is issued by independent certification bodies, not by ISO, the government or any regulator: ISO itself says it does not perform certification or issue certificates. For a certificate that buyers and tender committees recognise, use a certification body accredited by NABCB, India's accreditation board under the Quality Council of India, or by another member of the international accreditation arrangement. ISO 9001:2026 replaced ISO 9001:2015 in September 2026, and under NABCB's transition policy, certificates issued under its accreditation must move to the new edition before 30 September 2028.
Who issues ISO certificates in India?
A certification body (CB) does. ISO writes the standards, India's member body in ISO is the Bureau of Indian Standards, and NABCB accredits the certification bodies. None of these three issues your certificate, and NABCB says plainly that it provides accreditation, not certification.
The chain works like this:
- ISO publishes the standard, such as ISO 9001 for quality management. Its logo is a registered trademark and cannot appear on your certificate or products.
- The certification body audits your management system and issues the certificate.
- NABCB, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, accredits management system certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 after assessing their competence and impartiality.
NABCB is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum's multilateral recognition arrangement, which supports the international acceptance of certificates issued under its accreditation.
Accredited and non-accredited ISO certificates
ISO notes that accreditation is not compulsory and that a non-accredited body is not necessarily disreputable. Accreditation is, however, the independent confirmation that a certification body is competent, and NABCB's advisory of 11 February 2025 asks government bodies, PSUs, corporates and MSMEs to prescribe NABCB-accredited certification in their procurement and tender requirements.
| Point | Accredited certificate | Non-accredited certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Who checks the certification body | NABCB or another IAF member accreditation body | No accreditation body |
| IAF CertSearch | Built mainly for accredited certificates | Generally not listed |
| Verifiable through NABCB | Yes, for NABCB-accredited bodies | No |
| Accepted where a buyer asks for accredited certification | Yes | No |
Watch out. NABCB defines certification as a third party's written assurance that a system conforms to specified requirements. A certificate issued without anyone assessing your system cannot give that assurance. If a tender or customer asks for accredited ISO 9001 certification, confirm the certification body's accreditation before you pay anyone.
Which ISO standard does your business need?
Most businesses start with ISO 9001 for quality management, but the right standard depends on what your customers or tender ask for. NABCB's accreditation covers management system certification to standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 50001.
| Standard | Subject |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2026 | Quality management systems |
| ISO 14001:2026 | Environmental management systems |
| ISO 45001:2018 | Occupational health and safety |
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Information security management |
| ISO 22000:2018 | Food safety management |
| ISO 50001:2018 | Energy management |
ISO 22000 does not replace the FSSAI registration or licence a food business needs by law, and no ISO certificate replaces a statutory registration such as GST registration or Udyam.
The ISO 9001 certification process, step by step
You build and run a management system that meets the standard, then an accredited certification body audits it and, if satisfied, certifies it for a defined scope. The body then keeps checking through scheduled audits; NABCB's policies refer to surveillance and recertification audits.
- Fix the scope: the sites, products and activities to be certified. A certificate covers only its stated scope.
- Implement the standard's requirements and keep records that show the system works.
- Choose a certification body. Check its accreditation and scope in NABCB's directory of accredited bodies, and that it is not on NABCB's lists of suspended or withdrawn bodies.
- The certification body audits your system against the standard.
- The body decides on certification and issues the certificate in your organisation's name.
- Confirm the certificate appears on IAF CertSearch and keep up with the scheduled audits.
ISO and NABCB do not fix a timeline or fee for certification. Both depend on the certification body, your size and the scope, so get them in writing before you sign.
What ISO 9001:2026 means for certified businesses
ISO lists ISO 9001:2015 as withdrawn from 16 September 2026 and replaced by ISO 9001:2026. NABCB's transition policy of 8 October 2026 follows the global 36-month transition from 30 September 2026 to 30 September 2029, with earlier deadlines for certified businesses.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| NABCB starts assessing certification bodies for ISO 9001:2026 | 1 November 2026 |
| Certification bodies' own transition completed | 31 July 2027 |
| New and initial certifications only to ISO 9001:2026 | After 31 March 2028 |
| Certified organisations transitioned, with revised certificates issued | Before 30 September 2028 |
Transition happens at a scheduled surveillance or recertification audit, or at a special transition audit. Certification bodies must withdraw certificates of organisations that do not transition in time.
Example. Bluepeak Packaging Private Limited (a made-up company) holds an ISO 9001:2015 certificate from a NABCB-accredited certification body, with a surveillance audit due in March 2027. It can update its system and transition at that audit. If it waits and has not transitioned before 30 September 2028, its certificate must be withdrawn. A business applying for the first time in May 2028 can only be certified to ISO 9001:2026.
ISO 14001 has also been revised to ISO 14001:2026, and NABCB has issued a separate transition policy for it.
How to check whether an ISO certificate is genuine
Search the organisation's name or certificate number on IAF CertSearch, the global database NABCB recommends. It shows the standard, scope, issuing certification body, accreditation body and status: active, suspended, withdrawn or expired.
NABCB adds that a certificate missing from IAF CertSearch is not automatically invalid; it may not have been uploaded. In that case, ask the issuing certification body. For a certificate issued under NABCB accreditation, you can also write to NABCB at [email protected]. A complaint against a certification body goes in writing to NABCB's Chief Executive Officer.
Common mistakes with ISO certification
The costliest mistake is paying for a certificate that the buyer then rejects because the certification body is not accredited, or because the certificate's scope does not cover the products in the tender.
- Treating QCI, NABCB or BIS as the issuer. They are not; the certification body is.
- Printing the ISO logo on letterheads or packaging. ISO does not allow it.
- Missing a scheduled surveillance audit. Certification bodies can suspend or withdraw certificates.
- Ignoring the ISO 9001:2026 deadlines until the recertification audit.
How Ofin helps with ISO certification
Ofin does not issue ISO certificates. We coordinate the process: helping you choose the standard and the type of certificate, preparing the application and documents, scheduling with an independent certification body, and tracking your audits and renewal dates. Our service starts at ₹5,899 inclusive of GST.
Our CAs, CSs and legal professionals reply within 24 hours, and the paperwork is handled online. If you are in Mumbai, see ISO certification in Mumbai. Get a fixed-price proposal.
